Kristian Garic

Kristian: Saints' Rob Ryan - "We got our butts kicked today"

by Kristian Garic,posted Jul 26 2014 1:02PM

Offensive day: The Saints' first team offense carved up Rob Ryan’s defense seemingly at will in the team portions of practice today, prompting Ryan to make the declaration “We got our butts kicked today out there, and we didn’t like it. That offense was rolling!” Drew Brees hooked up with tight end Jimmy Graham on a couple of big plays today. Graham also hauled in a nice pass from Ryan Griffin on a big play down the middle. Graham brought the crowd to their feet when he dunked the football over the crossbar on the other end of the field. That will earn a player a fine during a game, but not during practice.

Stills sits out: After injuring his quad in practice yesterday, wide receiver Kenny Stills was a spectator at today’s work out. Joe Morgan and Nick Toon took advantage of the extra reps in his absence. Toon had a couple of nice plays today on two passes from Drew Brees in the team portion of practice. Rookie wide receiver Brandin Cooks is in Brees' hip pocket - you can see the two players talking after nearly every play, ensuring they are on the same page.

Weather Factor: Much has been made about the cooler climate up here in West Virginia, and the results are visible on the field. You can definitely tell the players are a little more enthused about practice, and lot more frisky. Sean Payton did not cut practice short like he did on day one.

PT Cruiser: Running back Pierre Thomas is entering his 8th season with the Saints. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long, but he’s taken a leadership role in the running back meeting rooms. "I’m not the boss, the coach is the boss, but I’m like his assistant, just making sure things go smoothly in there,” Thomas explained. He’s been working with the second team unit, but don’t read anything into that “The younger guys are going have to beat me out. They’re going to have to put me on the bench, I’m not going to just sit on the bench without battling,” Thomas explained.